In high power applications it is often necessary to switch off the electrical power source before two connectors which connect the power lines are mated or unmated. Indeed, it is safer not to leave power terminals supplied by high power while the connectors are unmated and consequently while the terminals may be exposed. It is also useful to prevent possible arcing when the connectors are close to each other but not yet fully mated as it inevitably occurs during mating and unmating. Such arcing may be dangerous for persons connecting or disconnecting the power line and it may additionally damage the connectors. Further, a high voltage peak which may be induced by the arcing can damage electrical devices which are connected to the power system. Therefore, commonly the high power has to be turned off manually before e.g. working on the high power system. This causes danger because the manual turning off can easily be forgotten, if e.g. untrained personal is involved or in the case of an accident where connections might have to be open rapidly. Therefore, solutions have been developed in the art providing ways for automatic turning off the power supply in the case that the power connectors are e.g. only in a pre-mated position.
An example of such a solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,135. This document proposes a charging connector device for electrical vehicles comprising a security mechanism to prevent dangerous arcing during the connection of the charging device and the power plug of the vehicle. First, when the charging device and the power plug are not yet fully mounted, a security lever presses a micro switch which turns off the main electrical power supply. Then, when the two members are correctly mated, the security lever releases the micro switch and the power is turned on. The same mechanism turns off the power during disconnecting the charging device and the power plug.
Further, connector position assurance (CPA) members are known in the art, to assure the correct mechanical coupling of two connectors with each other. Such members typically can have one or more of the following functions. For one they provide a mechanical secondary locking system for the connectors, where typically the CPA member can only be moved in the locking position when the electrical connectors are completely mated. In this locking position, the two connectors are mechanically locked together. Secondly, the CPA member serves as a visual checking means for the correct mounting. For this purpose, the CPA member is constructed so that it can be visually distinguished if the CPA member is moved fully into said locking position or not. With this function the technician can easily judge the state of the high power connection by simply looking at the CPA member.
In addition, many high power applications require electromagnetic shielding of the electrical power lines. In particular in the case of hybrid or electrical vehicles it can be important to establish an electromagnetic shielding continuity from e.g. a power supply to the power dissipation device without interruptions. Such continuous electromagnetic shielding is problematic if the high power line includes connectors, since stripping is necessary for mounting of cables in connectors. Therefore, the electromagnetic cable shielding has to be bridged over the connectors. In the art commonly shielding bridges are mounted around the whole arrangement of terminals, power lines and housing parts, or the housing itself is made of conducting material or the housing includes a lining of conductive material to serve as shielding bridge. Unfortunately, in those cases it is necessary to provide openings in the shielding bridge to allow for the CPA member to function since it has to interact with parts of the connectors. This is a consequence of the requirement to provide compact connector systems, which for most applications is inevitable. Otherwise, more complicated CPA arrangements could be constructed around the connector assembly containing the shielding bridge, leading to rather large and expensive connector systems. This need for electromagnetic shielding combined with the need for a CPA member results in the problem to provide a new electrical connector system.
An aim of the present invention is to provide a new electrical connector system which solves or minimizes at least on of the above described problems. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector system with an electrical security system guaranteeing the current flow through the connector only in the case of correct connector mating. It is a further object of the present invention to solve the above described problems with an inexpensive product which is simple to manufacture and assemble.
These and other objects which become apparent upon reading the following description are solved by a connector system according to claim 1.